If the thought of a hot sandwich filled with beef, melted cheese, caramelized onions and peppers served with beef broth for dipping sound appealing, you NEED to make these!
These sandwiches make the perfect game day meal, start this early in the morning because you’ll need 9 to 12 hours, depending on the size of your roast. You can even serve them as sliders by serving them on dinner rolls.
Ever since I got my hands on the The Recipe Girl Cookbook: Dishing Out the Best Recipes for Entertaining and Every Day[1], I’ve had my eye on this recipe because I love a good French Dip! To be honest, I’ve never made roast beef in the slow cooker, because I love my roast beef in the oven, cooked to medium rare. But I took a chance because I was curious and made this yesterday. Smelled so good simmering all day and when it was ready I made myself a sandwich… it was awesome!
My husband came home from work hungry and I made him a sandwich, and he LOVED it! I didn’t have to do much to her recipe to make it light, I just used whole grain bread (tried with both whole wheat baguette and whole wheat 100 calorie potato rolls) and I used portion control and they were perfectly satisfying. I highly recommend making the onions and peppers, in my opinion they make the sandwich!
I’ve known Lori (aka Recipe Girl[2]) for quite a few years, we first met on Twitter, then in person a few times and recently spent a weekend away at the Better Blog Retreat in Park City, Utah along with a few other lovely ladies. Lori is pictured on my left.
The recipes in her book are perfect for entertaining and she includes menu ideas from everything from football parties, romantic dinners for two, holiday parties, tailgating parties and more, or you can just serve them up any night of the week.
Because this can make several servings depending on the size of the roast you purchase, and the appetites of your guests I am leaving out the serving size and calculating the nutrition based on one sandwich using a whole wheat baguette.
Slow Cooker French Dip Sandwiches with Caramelized Onions
Adapted From: The Recipe Girl Cookbook[3]
Servings: varies • Size: 1 sandwich (see below) • Old Points: 6 • Points+: 8 pt
Calories: 308 • Fat: 9 g • Carb: 31 g • Fiber: 1 g • Protein: 29 g • Sugar: 1 g
Sodium: 620 mg • Cholest: 40 mg
Ingredients:
For The Beef:
- 3 to 4 lb lean beef round roast, trimmed
1 tbsp minced garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp fresh rosemary (or 1 tsp dry)
1 tbsp fresh thyme (or 1 tsp dry)
1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
2 to 3 (14.5 oz) cans Swanson’s low-sodium beef broth
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 10 whole peppercorns
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 large onion, cut into chunks
For the Caramelized Onions (makes about 1 cup):
-
1/2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 large onions, thinly sliced
- 1/2 tsp Kosher salt
For the Peppers (makes about 2 cups):
- 1 large red bell pepper, cored, seeded and sliced into strips
-
1 large green bell pepper, cored, seeded and sliced into strips
For the Sandwich:
-
Sargento Reduced Fat Provolone or Mozzarella Slices
- whole wheat baguette or rolls, cut into 2 oz pieces
Directions:
In a small bowl mix garlic, rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper. Rub the spice mixture onto all sides of the roast, then place in the slow cooker.
Pour the broth into the side of the roast until it just cover the meat. If the broth doesn’t cover the roast you can add water and top with onions. Add the Worcestershire sauce, peppercorns and bay leaf to the broth. Cover and cook on low until the meat flakes apart easily with a fork, about 9 to 12 hours, depending on the size of your roast.
An hour before the meat is done, prepare the onions and peppers. In a large nonstick skillet heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onions and salt and cook until golden, stirring often, reducing heat as needed if the onions are burning or browning too quickly, about 30 to 35 minutes. Add 1 tbsp to the pan if it becomes too dry. The onions should turn golden and the flavor should be sweet. Transfer to a serving bowl, then add the peppers to the skillet and cook stirring often until soft, 8 to 10 minutes.
Remove the meat from the slow cooker to a cutting board and shred with a fork or slice with a knife. Strain the broth through a fine sieve then place in a gravy separator to remove any fat. Pour 1/4 cup broth into each small ramekin.
Preheat the oven to broil. Split the bread open and top with 2 ounces of beef. Top with onions, peppers and cheese and broil until the cheese melts. Place on a plate with broth for dipping.
Nutrition based on: 2 oz whole wheat baguette, 2 oz cooked beef round, 1/4 cup beef broth, 1 slice cheese, onions & peppers.